1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and information processing method, which save information of a job executed by an image processing apparatus as a job log in a storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a job log audit system, which acquires pieces of job information of jobs such as a copy job, FAX send/reception job, and print job executed by an image processing apparatus such as a printer, scanner, digital MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral), or the like, and saves them as job logs in a database, is known. The job log audit system searches the job logs saved in the database to refer to contents of previously executed jobs.
When the user executes, for example, a copy operation using an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus generates and accumulates, as a log, job information including a copy execution user name and time, image data and text data of a copied document, and the like. The image processing apparatus transmits the accumulated job logs to a server at a predetermined timing, and the server processes the received job logs and saves them in the database. An auditor conducts a search based on keywords and images with respect to the job logs saved in the database using the job log audit system, thus referring to pieces of log information of jobs executed by the user using the image processing apparatus. Thus, the auditor can audit whether or not the user appropriately uses the image processing apparatus.
Since the job log audit system handles image data each having a large data size, storage capacity poses a problem when the job logs are accumulated in the digital MFP. By contrast, a technique for holding job logs having identical images in the form of link logs which each have only reference information to that image in order to reduce data size is available (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-330939).
On the other hand, the aforementioned job logs are often backed up outside the job log audit system or are often used for the purpose of audit in another system.
In the conventional job log audit system, job logs having identical images are accumulated in the database in the form of link logs. For this reason, when data are to be backed up or are to be used in another system, reusability of data has room for improvement (for example, link breaking may have occurred).